Small Life Photography explores another world that lives beneath, above, and all around us. It shows intricate details of subjects that are not clearly visible with the naked eye, whether it is the eyes of a tiny insect, the disks of a flower in the garden, a bird perched high up in the trees, or anything of small stature. Marc Lau, the photographer behind Small Life Photography, has always had a passion for nature and wildlife. In his younger days, Marc was given the name 'Nature Boy', which reflected the various pets he had over the years such as lizards, snakes, scorpions, dogs, cats, ferrets, newts, turtles, etc. Marc was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the youngest of three children. His family moved to Alexandria, Virginia when he was in 6th grade and that is where he spent most of his young adult life. Marc currently resides in Manassas, Virginia with his wife and two dogs. He worked in the corporate world performing IT system administration and support for about 20 years. When Marc got into photography, it opened a whole new world for him to showcase nature and life from his perspective. As a hobby, he posted his pictures on Social Media as 'The Lau Perspective'. Marc didn't have a focus or specialization, he photographed anything that caught his eye. Some time later, he was recruited into the automotive community where he joined a car club and was participating in car shows for several years. His aim at that time became mostly automotive to capture his journey in a new hobby and lifestyle. Then, the pandemic happened and life as we knew it stopped. Marc stepped away from the automotive community and returned to his roots with nature. He learned of and researched macrophotography, then purchased his first macro lens and was hooked immediately. The ability to capture so much detail in small life and objects amazed him and he has been loving it ever since. After lots of practice and honing in on his skills in macro, Marc took his hobby to a business and Small Life Photography was born at the end of 2022. He knew it wouldn't be an easy road, but you only live once. If you have the opportunity to chase your dreams and do something you are passionate about, you should because we don't live forever. Macrophotography is extreme close-up photography of very small subjects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size. It is most commonly used with live organisms such as insects, but it can be used for any small objects. This form of photography has led Marc's interest into gardening as well. Him and his wife started a pollinator garden in and around their property mixed with native and other flowers and plants. More is added each season to provide nectar and pollen to a variety of pollinators. While helping nature, this also provides more subjects to photograph such as bees, flowers, butterflies, hummingbirds and so much more. A majority of Small Life Photography's pictures are from in and around their property in Manassas, VA. Other pictures are from local wildlife refuges. Marc specializes in macrophotography, but he also focuses on nature and wildlife. As Small Life Photography, he participates in various events throughout the show season, which usually runs from April to December.
